“The Drachenfels has its wonderful story. It is said that Siegfried killed the Dragon there. The so-called Dragon Cave or Rock is there, and of this particular dragon many curious tales are told.
“In the early days of Christianity the cross was regarded as something more than a mere emblem of faith. It was believed to possess miracle-working power.
“In a rocky cavern of the Drachenfels, in ancient times, there lived a Dragon of most hideous form. He had a hundred teeth, and his head was so large that he could swallow several victims at a time. His body was of enormous length, and in form like an alligator’s, and he had a tail like a serpent.
“The pagans of the Rhine worshipped this monster and offered to him human sacrifices.
“In one of the old wars between rival princes, a Christian girl was taken captive, and the pagan priest commanded that she should be made an offering to the Dragon.
“It was the custom of the pagans to bind their sacrifices to the Dragon alive to a tree near his cave at night. At sunrise he would come out and devour them.
“They led the lovely Christian maiden to a spot near the cave, and bound her to a tree.
“It was starlight. Priests and warriors with torches had conducted the maiden to the fatal spot, and stood at a little distance from the victim, waiting for the sunrise.